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The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 2:29 pm
by thedupleman
The truth....

It's your baby...you build it....you loved it.....does that mean others want it....?

Well...no actually.

So why do people believe modified cars are worth more?

Well it's down to the effort and money they spend but at the end of the day the reality is...you won't get it back.

Case 1....

Liam cyster


Perhaps the most well known car in the coupe world? Liam is a really nice lad....iv met him several times....but....when he tried to sell his car it flopped so badly.Twenty grand up spent on this car.....
He started at 12 grand...3 years later he is own to four and still trying to sell an impractical old gen3 two seater......

Case 2.......

F2 cou

Supercharged coupe must have spent 10 grand.perhaps only one professionally build over 200 brake available.....originally asking about 6 grand...now down to 2 grand
Liam
Liam
image.jpg (19.21 KiB) Viewed 12658 times

Total headcase has already dropped the price on his very nice Siii.....so why do people keep up trying to sell for crazy prices when practical ones like headcases won't sell.....opinions.....

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 2:50 pm
by Skortchio
This is a very common occurrence in the mini and motorbike world (I know I relate to it a lot, but it's where I have experience!), people will spend literally years and years building their perfect car, but for many the passion is in the building so when they come to sell they expect a monetary return on the time and effort put in.
For the most part, period modifications and minor tuning is expected on 30+ year old cars but once you go a bit wild you drastically reduce your potential market.

As you said quite rightly, "It's your baby...you build it....you loved it.....does that mean others want it....? Well...no actually."
It may be your perfect car but it's pretty unlikely that it's most peoples. Coupes are probably a little bit of a smaller marque but suffer the same problems.
While I might have a hankering for a massive carbon fibre whale tail spoiler, it's highly unlikely anyone else would see it as desirable.

The more extreme the smaller the group of potential buyers become, add into that the stigma that a modified car (especially repainted) means a damaged / thrashed / recklessly driven car and your market shrinks again.
A few of the guys I know have put north of £20k into their mini's, we're talking Lotus engines, R1 bike engines, space frames, serious engineering. Resale value? About £5k maybe nearer £10k for something with every bell and whistle.

Modifying cars is a labour of love, we do it because we see more than the sum of the parts and a potential for wonder in a mundane contraption. But to find someone else who appreciates it to the same level and understands the worth of the work put in is very rare.
Many might like it and desire it but few would see it in the same terms of investment.

When I sold my bike I could have got nearly the same price for a stock model as mine, sure I could of removed all the mods but I didn't want to. It was 'complete' ... That and I really couldn't be bothered after stripping the stabilisers and electronic shifter off.

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 4:21 pm
by cervantes
:text-yeahthat: I think that pretty much covers it to be honest, i guess also to take into account are people always want a bargain, the gen 3 coupe is getting old now and values of even the standard models are way down, modded or not, who is going to pay 5 grand or what have you for a car they can buy that isnt modded for a third of the price, what do you really want, someone elses idea of what makes a good car or a couple of grand in your pocket :confusion-shrug:

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 5:23 pm
by VoodooRoller
Maybe it's because they're yellow? :D

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 6:10 pm
by total_headcase
All of the above is completely correct.

I had my car for sale, a fully modified Siii, at a car show. Despite pretty much everybody having a good old nosey at it (And I mean everybody - It got more looks than a Sierra RS Cossie that was parked next to it!), I didn't get a single enquiry, even at the reasonable sum of £3750.

I've since taken most of the things off (So it's now a 'normal' Coupe with a few minor additions), and the amount of serious interest I've had since re-advertising it for sale has gone up dramatically. I mean, a straight, honest Siii for £3250? Almost unheard of!

I never expected to get my money back. But by selling the mods off and making a little back on them, I've been able to drop the price of the car and make it more desirable to potential purchasers at the same time!

(Sales pitch over) :icon-biggrin:

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 12:29 am
by aaronyuri
When you modify a car to your taste, it becomes a car targeted at you.

I find that the only cars that are more valuable modified are those that are more desirable when modified: Skylines, Supras, RX-7s, Glanzas... The sort of cars people buy to actually modify.

I'm afraid that the Coupe does not fall into that categorical type of ownership.

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:02 am
by cervantes
woah woah woah woah, woah, woah... woah, stop it, a modified skyline is a sin and should be punishable in some fashion, the only, only, alteration to any skyline should be to have it repainted in bayside blue, and only if someone was foolish enough to have one in any other colour :icon-lol:

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 10:46 am
by Mr Tuscan
It has to be said that some folks idea of mods are appaling in others eyes, bits stuck on here and there. The coupe is a good looking car already without turning it into what you think looks good. A perfect example is me looking on a forum and seeing many wildish mods being done and NOT making a comment as I often think....'oh dear' now I am sure this goes for many others also. I have to agree with the above comments it decreases the market and usually the value as you never know how good its really been done either.
Yellow dam voodoo has a point haha but seriously how many members over the age of boyracer would like to buy Liams car....I mean I would feel a berk pulling up outside my house in that. My dad would piss his ants and rib me rotten.

Ive not gone anywhere near some cars but have still spent 5k on mine I'll never get any of it back but my car is for me alone and I'll keep it for as long as I can. Its my labour of love alone.

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 10:56 am
by Skortchio
Mr Tuscan wrote: seriously how many members over the age of boyracer would like to buy Liams car...
:whistle: :oops:

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:32 am
by thedupleman
My dad would piss his ants
Must be a wierd down south thing

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:34 am
by thedupleman
skortchio wrote:
Mr Tuscan wrote: seriously how many members over the age of boyracer would like to buy Liams car...
:whistle: :oops:
I would....I love modified cars and so does pat....Iv always admired how much effort they put into Saxos etc.....wasted money....but...

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:42 am
by Mr Tuscan
thedupleman wrote:
skortchio wrote:
Mr Tuscan wrote: seriously how many members over the age of boyracer would like to buy Liams car...
:whistle: :oops:
I would....I love modified cars and so does pat....Iv always admired how much effort they put into Saxos etc.....wasted money....but...

Proves how diverse the market is when it comes to these things, one mans rubbish etc etc

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:47 am
by Mr Tuscan
haha

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 4:06 pm
by auto_mattick
Haha,

This will be the reason why I think I'll be stripping mine out (maybe before Christmas if I can find a nice vxr8 :icon-lol: ) and all the parts like the turbo, injectors, emerald etc will be going on eBay as their worth more to me that way.

But before that ever happens I will be giving Sharky a ring to have a chat first if it comes to moving on, i havent spoken to him about this before but I hope he's consider it. I'd like Ross to take the car with everything in my shed including the spare engine, bbtb, performance manifold and rear bumper etc... :laughing-rollingyellow: . I'll be using a trailer to get the stuff up but I know it'll be used then since he see's the largest coupe audience.

But you never know I got what I asked for my last coupe without even putting a for sale sign on it and that was modified.

It's all down to luck and if the person really likes it.

Hmm I wonder how much trade in could be as my parents got offered a good amount off their new car for something that wasn't worth what they were given.

Chris

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 4:25 pm
by Lukeyfc1212
I would buy a car with engine mods and tuning etc... But visually unless it's just a set of alloys if probably steers clear IMO in that sense everyone has a different taste :)

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 12:25 am
by aaronyuri
cervantes wrote:woah woah woah woah, woah, woah... woah, stop it, a modified skyline is a sin and should be punishable in some fashion, the only, only, alteration to any skyline should be to have it repainted in bayside blue, and only if someone was foolish enough to have one in any other colour :icon-lol:
Not a Skyine with silly bonnet vents and ridiculous bumpers. I mean a Skyline with some good engine performance mods, decent suspension setup. Not fixing bits of plastic to the chassis, that's not modification. :icon-lol: If you try buying a high performance 90s JDm car, it will usually cost more money when modified than stock. Unless it is some sort of limited edition, at least.

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 10:51 am
by thedupleman
Here is another with a high price that looks good....but will it sell

http://hyundaicoupeclub.co.uk/sales-wan ... 41369.html

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 11:17 am
by mrkieran23
My 2p worth.

When i'm looking to buy a car, I would stay away modified cars as i always assumed boy racer and the car may have been ragged.

Yes i know i have modified my car and no i'm not a boy racer racing around the streets but i cannot say everybody is like me so for that reason ill only buy standard.

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 11:29 am
by Lukeyfc1212
:text-yeahthat: all day long!

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 1:48 pm
by androo 007
Wait, F2cou is down to 2k?

Meeeeeeee

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 2:17 pm
by thedupleman
It was on ebay last week for 2

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 2:48 pm
by Lexo
At £4.5k I highly doubt it will shift. Got my Siii for that 2 months ago and paid the same for my old Gen 3.5 2 YEARS ago :icon-lol:

Do like the look of it though :clap:

As for the general theme of the thread, I just buy cars based on the look and comfort. Speed is nice but is 3-4th on the list for me. Modded, I'd say sure why not if it's been looked after and they have the paperwork to show it. Personal taste has a lot to do with it though and some of the things I'd like to do myself, it would feel a bit like cheating

Re: The pitfalls of selling modified cars.....

Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2013 1:05 pm
by androo 007
thedupleman wrote:It was on ebay last week for 2
did it sell? tell me when it comes up again will ya pal